The Effect of Certain Fish Meals and Fish Oils in the Ration on the Flavor of the Turkey

THE problem of undesirable or off flavor in turkeys has received considerable attention, but citation of two recent reports will suffice to indicate some of the differences in the results obtained. Cosby and Knowlton (1937) report that fish meal (20 percent of the mash, about 8 percent of the ration) had no undesirable effect on the flavor while about 1 percent of fish oil in the ration (2 percent of the mash) produced an off flavor in two out of four birds. On the other hand, Marble, Hunter, Knandel, and Dutcher (1937) reported that both fish meal (10 percent of a vacuum dried white fish meal) with or without cod liver oil (not U.S.P.) produced an off flavor. Preliminary experiments at the California Agricultural Experiment Station, Davis indicated that a high grade vacuum dried sardine meal fed at a level of 20 percent of the total ration did not produce . . .